Knights longtime lawyer, David Kenner, blasted the ruling.
I find this decision to be shocking and unconscionable, Kenner tellsRolling Stone.
I think the court has grossly erred in the decision it rendered.
Marion ‘Suge’ Knight listens as his sentence is given inside the courtroom in Los Angeles on Oct. 4, 2018, where he was sentenced to 28 years in state prison for the fatal confrontation outside a Compton burger stand nearly four years ago.DAVID MCNEW/AFP/Getty Images
I think it is legally improper and the court did not follow the law.
The deadly incident at Tams Burgers in Compton, California, claimed the life of local businessman Terry Carter.
They said Knight was angry because earlier in the day, he was turned away from a meeting withDr.
Dreand Ice Cube at an office for the movieStraight Outta Compton.
Prosecutors claimed Knight was seeking compensation for his portrayal in the film.
The criminal case avoided trial when Knight accepted a plea deal in September 2018.
The court recognizes that the law prefers decisions be made based on the merits rather than procedural bars.
Therefore, the court will address each of the remaining claims on the merits, she wrote.
Taken in context, it was not a request to represent himself, the judge found.
Citing court transcripts, the judge found that DeBlanc represented him adequately.
There is no valid evidence that the plea was coerced, the judge wrote.
The fact that counsel only visited the petitioner two times in jail in not persuasive.
It is not uncommon for counsel to wait to speak with their clients at the courthouse….
The judge didnt buy that argument.
The occurrence of the civil trial is of no import, Priver wrote.
There was nothing which can be viewed as newly discovered evidence that arose from the civil matter.
The fact that the civil case hung is irrelevant.
One of the cases was a criminal threats case involvingStraight Outta Comptondirector F. Gary Gray.
They said after the call, Knight allegedly threatened Gray over text.
In a footnote, prosecutors said hugs was street vernacular for physical violence.
